It’s a Dizgrace

It’s been difficult to work out who’s been found the most guilty, top cop Ali Dizaei who was sentenced yesterday – or the Black Police Association, whose main offence appears to be their name.

Aid meanies and racists – are they related?

It’s always interesting to compare opinion polls, even if they may not be completely related. For example a survey today has found that half of all Britons don’t want international aid spending to increase.

Shazia’s letter from America

OBV Alumni and Conservative parliamentary candidate for Leigh*, Shazia Awan is in the USA as a guest of the American government on the international visitor programme. Here she writes exclusively for OBV about some of her experiences on this political/cultural journey.

Brum blues make election choice

The Conservatives have selected Nusrat Ghani to fight the seat of Birmingham Ladywood.

Hidden apartheid: the caste system and British Asians

The issue of caste is often unrecognised, but discrimination and bad treatment towards Dalits is a serious problem, says Gagan Dulai

Javid wins safe Tory seat nomination

Congratulations to Sajid Javid, who won the contest to be Conservative candidate for Bromsgrove, a safe seat.

Top stories of the week

These are the most read stories on OBV Blog over the past week (1st February – 7th February 2010)

OBV Exclusive: How white is our media industry?

Joseph Harker of The Guardian exposes the shocking lack of diversity in Britain’s powerful national newspapers.

OBV Exclusive: Benjamin Zephaniah – thoughts of a poetic master

Operation Black Vote was delighted when one of the greatest living poets of our generation came into our offices and gave an interview with Richard Sudan.

Imagine there’s no secrets

Imagine there’s no racism. John Lennon did, according to a report today which says he was “ashamed” of the racist taunts endured by his wife Yoko Ono.

Hodge is playing with fire

Margaret Hodge has clearly decided to fight fire with fire, in her personal battle against the BNP’s Nick Griffin, as she calls for a “benefit ban” on migrants. But this is a game where everyone gets burnt.

Creating young leaders

A groundbreaking scheme pioneered by a New Cross based project, the Ministry of Youth, has given young people from the area the chance to introduce and implement fresh ideas to enhance their communities.

OBV Cartoon Corner

Cartoonist Tim Sanders on the BNP opening its’ doors to ‘minorities.’

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Why politics must play the ball – not the man – on race

The spate of racism stories affecting all three political parties could be the opening shots of the general election campaign. Lester Holloway hopes not.

Haiti’s debt penalty

In stark contrast to the Mail, Gary Younge in The Guardian reminds us it is the West that owes Haiti.

Art of the matter

A big welcome to the new blog Edge of Happiness – which starts life with a super article making mincemeat of the London Evening Standard’s attack on the artist Chris Ofili.

Haiti, voodoo and the Daily Mail

Dawn Butler’s new fortnightly column in The Voice newspaper opens with a broadside at the Daily Mail over their shocking feature about Haiti, headlined “Rape, murder and voodoo on the island of the damned.”